The present invention relates generally to a transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system such as an electronic home-by-home (or door-to-door) delivery service/reception system, an electronic laundry service/reception system, an IC-card-operated electronic locker system, an IC-card type electronic parking meter system and the like. Such systems are adapted for performing control and management of boxes or compartments or zones destined for accommodating articles in a broadest sense, as well as monetary transactions associated therewith, by making use of an electronic wallet system.
As the transaction-oriented electronic accommodation system of the type mentioned above, there has been proposed in JP-A-3-92966 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 92966/1991) an electronic money system in which an IC card (integrated-circuit card) is used for realizing commercial transactions in a completely cashless manner (i.e., without involving monetary transactions in cash).
Similar systems are also disclosed in the publications of JP-A-5-287946, JP-A-546633 and JP-A-432050.